These three recipes are courtesy of Lucy, a Guatemalan chef who cooked at two restaurants in the area over the course of this year & gave us a private cooking lesson during the Passmores’ visit.
Chicken Atitlán
6 chicken breasts
6T achiote paste
1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
½ cup gin, dark rum, white wine, or vodka
¼ cup triple sec
Zest of one orange, freshly grated
Zest of one lemon, freshly grated
½T cumin, toasted
½T allspice, toasted
½T thyme
½T oregano
½T salt
6T raw sugar or molasses
½ cup toasted pepitoria seeds
Olive oil
1. To make marinade, mix the achiote with the alcohols and orange juice*
2. Place chicken breasts in glass or metal baking dish
3. Grate orange and lemon zest over chicken breasts
4. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, allspice, thyme, oregano, salt, and sugar/molasses**
5. Pour ¾ of the marinade over chicken breasts; keep ¼ reserved
6. Massage chicken breasts with hands
7. Marinate, refrigerated, for a day to a day and a half
8. Transfer chicken to frying pan coated with oil; sprinkle with pepitoria seeds, then sear on both sides
9. Transfer chicken and seeds back to baking dish and bake, uncovered, until fully cooked
10. Serve with steamed sweet corn and squash; use reserved sauce for garnish
*The marinade can be made ahead of time and frozen. Lucy suggests adding onions and a bit of bacon to pump up the flavor if you make the marinade early.
**I’m guessing on amounts here. ½T of each seemed like a good place to start.
Serves 6
Cilantro/Pepitoria Pesto Tostadas
Combine cilantro, garlic, ground pepitoria, oregano, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and a little bit of cinnamon in food processor.*
Serve with refried black beans, avocado, and tomatoes on tostadas.
*Yup, no measurements. When I asked she just kept saying “herbs are very good friends.” I would start with a basic pesto recipe (cilantro = basil, pepitoria = walnuts) and work from there to taste.
Santa Cruz Sling
1 cup dried hibiscus (rosa de jamaica) flowers
½ cup lime juice
½ cup sugar
3 cups water
2T ground cardamom
9 ounces gin
1. Boil flowers in water until water turns very dark red; drain.
2. Over low heat, combine lime juice, sugar, 1T cardamom, and hibiscus water
3. Add additional sugar to taste; chill for 2 hours
4. Fill each of six glasses with ice; add 1½ oz. gin to each
5. Top with chilled hibiscus/lime mixture; sprinkle remaining cardamom on top
Makes 6 drinks
